Back-pedaling brake.



Patented May. 5, l90l.

W'. 8., GUBELMAN.

BACK PEDALING BRAKE.

(Application filed Aug. 21, 1900.)

(ll o mm.)

ml: upnms vmns co mom-um" wnsmnomu. v. 1:.

UNITED STATES FFICE.

WILLIAM S. GUBELMAN, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN C. CONWAY, OF SAME PLACE.

BACK-PEDALING BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. $69,237, dated March 5, 1901.

Application filed August 2],, 1900. fierial No. 27,5 72- (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. GUBELMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Back-Pedaling Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to back-pedaling coaster-brakes; and it has for its object the provision of a brake of this character which is simple, light, and compact in construction and in which the cooperating brake-surfaces have sufficient contact area to render the brake prompt and reliable in action and which permits the velocipede to be backed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of a wheel-hub provided with my improved brake. Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sections in lines 2 2 and 3 3, Fig. 1, showing the driving-clutch and the brake. 'Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the brake-actuating sleeve. Fig. 5 is a detached perspective view of the bracket which carries the stops of the brake-shoes.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A is the rear axle of a bicycle, which is secured in the slotted lugs a of the fork-arms A in the usual manner, and B is the wheel hub or barrel, journaled on the axle by ballbearings of any suitable construction. In the construction shown in the drawings the bearing-cones c c are mounted upon the stationary axle and the left-hand on p c is seated directly in the end of the hub, while the other cup 0 is screwed into the hub 01 of an annular rotary brake member or casing D. This casing is firmly screwed upon the adjacent end of the wheel-hub and abuts against a shoulder or flange cl of the latter. The hub of the casing D and the right-hand bearingcup 0 practically form extensions of the wheelhub. The annular rim of the casing D is provided at its outer edge with an annular spokeflange d and the portion (i of the inner wall of the casing adjacent to its rim is preferably beveled or conical, as shown in Fig. 1.

E is a ring which forms the outer wall of the casing and which is provided with an externally-screw-threaded rim e, which engages with an internal screw-thread formed on the loosely surrounds the bearing-cup or hub ex tension c and which is connected with the same by a driving and coasting clutch of any suitable or well-known construction. The clutch shown in the drawingsconsists of segmental recessesf, formed in the inner edge of the sprocket-wheel and having inclined bottoms or cam-faces f and rollersf interposed between said cam-faces and the cylindrical surface of the hub extension 0 said cam-faces trending in the proper direction to compel the hub to turn forwardly with the sprocket-wheel and to allow the hub to turn forward independently of the sprocket-wheel in coasting or to turn backward upon backpedaling. The hub extension 0 is provided at its outer end with an annular flange g, which. retains the sprocketwheel and the clutch-rollers f in place thereon.

H is a rotary brake-actuating sleeve which loosely surrounds the hub of the casing D and which is provided at its outer edge with clutch lugs or fingers h, arranged lengthwise of the sleeve. These lugs extend into the recesses f of the sprocket-wheel and stand on the rear side of the radial lugs orteeth 2', which form the end walls of said recesses, so that upon back pedaling to reverse the sprocket-wheel the sleeve H is turned backward with the wheel by the engagement of the sprocket-wheel lugs 1' against the fingers h of said sleeve. The fingers'h and i constitute a reversing or brake clutch. The sleeve H is provided at its outer edge in rearof each of its lugs or fingers h with an additional finger h. These rear fingers are arranged parallel with the front lugs or fingers h, and each of the same is separated from the corresponding front finger by a space which is preferably Wide enough to receive one of the clutchrollers f and allow the same to turn freely, one of these rollers being confined between the fingers of each pair, as shown in Fig. 2. The sleeve ll is held against lateral displace.- ment between the inner wall of the casing D and the inner side of the sprocket-wheel or by any other suitable means.

7c represents one or more radially-movable brake shoes or segments, which surround the inner poztiou of the brake-actuating sleeve H and which are adapted to hear at their periphery against the casing D when the brake is applied. The peripheral portion of these shoes is constructed of V-shaped crosssection to correspond to the opposing portions of said casing. as shown in Fig. l. The brake-shoes are provided with a facing 7a of vulcanized fiber or other suitable material v hich increases the braking action. The shoes are held against turning with the Wheelhub by horizontal stops or arms Z, projecting inwardly from a stationary ring L and engaging between the opposing ends of the shoes, as shown in Fig. 3. The ringLloosely encircles the outer portion of the sleeve H and is carried by an arm or bracket L, which is rigidly secured to the adjacent fork-arm A in the customary manner. The brake'slioes are provided in their inner edges with recesses or, having inclined bot-toms or catnfaces in, and in these recesses are arranged antit'riction-rollers m which hear at their outer sides against said cam-faces and at their inner sides againstthe cylindrical sleeve H. The cam-faces m approach the surface of the sleeve in a rearward direction,so that when the sleeve H is turned rearwardlyin hack-pedaling the rollers m are rolled toward the shallow rear end s of the recesses 'm,thereby crowding the brake-shoes outwardly against the surrounding casing or rotary brake member D.

N is asplit annularspring which surrounds the brake-shoes and which by its tendency to contract holds the shoes against its expanding-rollers m and the latter against the sleeve H, so as to insure prompt action of the brake upon reversing 'ihe sprocket-wheel. This spring is preferably beveled on both sides or made of V-shaped cross-section,so as to conform to the correspondinglybeveled brakesurfaces of the member or casing D. By this construction the spring augments the contact area of the brake-shoes.

The operation of my improved brake is as follows: In driving the machine in the ordinary manner the wheel-hnb is caused to turn forwardly with the sprocket or driving wheel F by the driving and coasting clutch f f the brake-actuating sleeve H revolving with the sprocket-wheel and the brake-shoes 7i: remaining in their retracted position. When the cranks are held stationary for coasting, the d riving-clutch permits the sprocket-wheel to remain at rest. and the wheel-hub to continue its forward movement within the driving-wheel. Upon back-pedaling to apply the brake the actuating-sleeve H is turned rearwardly with the sprocket-wheel by the engagement of the lugs or inner teeth t' of the sprocket-wheel a ainst the front fingers hot said sleeve, thereby causing the brake-expanding rollers m to roll toward the highest ends of the cam-faces m of the brake-shoes and forcing the latter outwardly against the surrounding casing or rotary brake member D and retarding or stopping the machine. As the peripheral portions of the casing D and the brake-shoes are doubly beveled or tapered outwardly, the shoes are wedged between the converging walls of the casing, thus obtaining a powerful and reliable braking action.

By providing the brake-actuating sleeve with the supplemental rear fingers h the machine can be backed without thereby applying the brake. In the absence of the stoppius 7t the rollers f of the driving-clutch would be wedged between the hub extension 0 and the cam-faces f of the sprocket-wheel upon backing the machine. The sprocketwheel would therefore be turned backward with the hub, and as the sleeve H is compelled to turn rearwargily with the sprocket-wheel the brake would he applied and prevent backing of the machine. The rear fingers h form back-stops or retainers, which prevent the rollers f of the d riving-clutch from thus wedging rearward ly between said sleeve and the cam-faces f upon backing the machine, thereby holding the rollers in an inoperative position during the backward rotation of the wheel-hub and preventing the application of the brake. Notwithstanding that the sleeve H is mounted loosely on the hub the friction due to the pressure of the non-rotary brakeshoes is and their ex panding-rollers m against the sleeve under the contracting action of the spring N is suflicient to prevent the sleeve from turning in backing the machine.

I claim as my in vention 1. In a coaster-brake, the combination with a wheel-hub provided with a brake member or surface, of a d ri'ving-wheel mounted loosely on the hub and provided with inwardly-extending lugs or teeth, a driving-clutch conmeeting said wheel with the hub and permitting the wheel-hub to turn forwardly independently of the driving-wheel, a non-rotary brake-shoe movable toward and from the brake member of the hub, a rotary brake-actuating sleeve provided with lugs or teeth which extend into the path of the lugs of the driving-wheel, and a shifting device interposed between said sleeve and the brake-shoe, whereby the shoe is moved against said brakesnrface when said sleeve is turned backward, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a wheel-hub pro vided with a brake member or surface, and a driving-wheel mounted loosely on the hub, of a movable clutch member interposed between the driving-wheel and the wheel-hub for driving said hub forwardly, a retaining device for holding said clutch member in an inoperative position during the backward ro- IIO tafion of the hub, a brake-shoe arranged to bear against the brake-surface of the wheelhub, and an actuating device for the brakeshoe connected with the driving-wheel, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a wheel-hub provided with a brake member or surface, and a driving-wheel mounted loosely on the hub, of a movable clutch member interposed between the driving-wheel and the wheel-hub for driving the hub forwardly, a rotary brakeactuating sleeve connected with the drivingwheel to turn backward therewithvand provided with a back-stop arranged to retain said clutch member in an inoperative position durin g the backward rotation of the hub,a brakeshoe arranged to bear against the brake-s11 rface of the wheel-hub, and a shifting device interposed between said sleeve and the brakeshoe, whereby the shoe is moved against'said brake surface when said sleeve is turned backward, snbstantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a wheel-hub provided with a brake member or surface, and a driving-wheel mounted loosely on the hub, of a movable clutch member interposed between the driving-wheel and the wheel-hub for driving said hub forwardly, a rotary brakea-ctuating sleeve connected with the drivingwheel to turn backward therewith and provided at its outer end with a stop-finger which is arranged on the rear side of said clutch member, a radially-movable brake-shoe arranged between said sleeve and the brake-so rface of the wheel-hub, a shifting device interposed between said sleeve and the brakeshoe, whereby the shoe is moved against said brake surface when said sleeve is turned backward, and a spring which tends to retract said brake-shoe, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a wheelhub provided with a brake member or surface, and a driving-wheel mounted loosely on the hub and provided with inwardly-extending lugs, of movable clutch rollers or members interposed between said drivingwheel and the wheel-hub, a brake-shoe arranged to bear against the brake-surface of the wheel-hub, a rotary brake-actuating sleeve provided at its outer end with lugs or fingers which are arranged on the front and rear sides of said clutch members said front lugs being arranged in the path of the lugs on the drivingwheel, and a shifting device interposed between said sleeve and the brake-shoe, whereby the shoe'is moved against said brake-surface when said sleeve is turned backward,substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 18th day of August, 1900.

WILLIAM S. GUBELMAN. Witnesses:

JNo. J. BONNER, CARL 'F. GEYER. 

